penchant

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpɒnʃɒn/, /ˈpɛnt͡ʃənt/ (UK); /ˈpɛnt͡ʃənt/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French penchant, the present participle of pencher “to incline, lean”,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Vulgar Latin *pendicāre,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Latin pendēre (“to hang; to weigh”).^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Earliest recorded meaning

A strong or habitual inclination or liking (1672).^[7][3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

The meaning has stayed close to that of the French: a leaning toward something.^[7][2][5] Merriam-Webster notes a frenchified pronunciation especially in British English.^[5]

Timeline

• 1672 – a strong inclination.^[7][3][4][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A strong or habitual liking or inclination, as in a penchant for travel.

Related words

• pendant
• pendulum
• propensity

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press